DC Police Chief Cathy Lanier is the cover girl for Governingmagazine for a story in which the publication highlights Lanier’s policing strategy. They say that many claim some of her methods could change the District and the nation.

Lanier has made a name for herself on the national stage since being unexpectedly picked by former Mayor Adrian Fenty in 2005. By diverging from DC’s zero-tolerance crime policies, which were fashioned after New York’s hard-line crackdown on crime in the early 90’s, Lanier has eased tensions between high-crime neighborhoods and the police. This, Lanier says, is the key to winning the District’s long-term war on crime.

The article examines Lanier’s unusual path to the top, as well as how far the District and its police forces have come since she joined the force. There’s a good chance that if they haven’t already, Lanier’s policies will soon influence the national debate on crime. This makes her story one worth knowing.